PRESS DIGEST-New Zealand newspapers - Nov 18

WELLINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Following are some of the
lead stories from New Zealand metropolitan newspapers on
Tuesday.

Stories may be taken from either the paper or Internet
editions of the papers.

Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch
for their accuracy.

DOMINION POST(www.stuff.co.nz)

Noon showdown for Labour Party: Unwanted by New Plymouth
voters, Andrew Little is a favourite to win the leadership of
the Labour Party today.

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Arvida seeks $80m in NZX IPO listing: A retirement village
operator whose investors include All Blacks Dan Carter and
Richie McCaw is looking to raise up to $80 million in a stock
market listing.

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NEW ZEALAND HERALD (www.nzherald.co.nz)

Not the time to change flag - Peters: New Zealand First is
boycotting a committee which will decide how the public votes on
the national flag, saying the referendum was an expensive
exercise which took attention away from greater priorities.

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NZ near bottom in global R&D spending: report: New Zealand's
world ranking for research and development spending continues to
drop, despite increased incentives for companies to invest,
according to a report by Grant Thornton, which puts New Zealand
near the bottom of the table.

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Xi's visit big chance to push NZ Inc: Chinese President Xi
Jinping's state visit is a massive marketing opportunity for New
Zealand, with a large contingent of media from the world's
second-biggest economy set to arrive on our shores this week,
says NZ China Council executive director Pat English.